Elizabeth Olsen, Glenn Close On Board For Period Love-Triangle Drama Therese Raquin

They very well could find themselves competing against each other in next year’s Best Actress Oscar race, but shortly after that Glenn Close (Albert Nobbbs) and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) will face off in the period drama Therese Raquin, which EW.com says will film next spring.

I’ve been curious to see which direction Olsen would choose now that Martha Marcy earned her some clout. EW says Raquin adapts a 19th century novel, as well as a Emile Zola novel, about a young Parisian (Olsen) forced into a loveless marriage and pines for her husband’s close friend, Laurent. Period love triangles? Keira Knightley must have passed.

EW adds that Close – who would play Olsen’s domineering aunt - has been attached to Raquin for years, making this the second passion project (after Nobbs) that she has managed to push through the pipeline in recent months. I imagine the short list of bankable young male stars will be lining up for the role of Laurent, giving them to opportunity to romance the saucer-eyed Olsen under Charlie Stratton’s direction.

But if Olsen scores an Oscar nomination for her vulnerable turn in Martha Marcy May Marlene, and emerges triumphant in what’s shaping up to be a competitive Best Actress category, what projects will she push to get made next? Part of me was hoping for this talented actress to remain on the edge, backing challenging dramatic fare (like Martha) that pushes the envelope. Therese Raquin sounds relatively safe, but we’ll know more as casting continues and we get our first look at a script.